2012 Colorado Book Awards

Let me end the suspense right away. The winner of the 2012 Colorado Book Award in the Juvenile Fiction category is – City of Orphans by Avi.

Even though Letters to Juniper didn’t win, the folks at Colorado Humanities and Center for the Book went out their way to make all the finalists feel like winners. The awards event was held on Friday, June 22, at the Doerr-Hosier Center at Aspen Meadows. A few hundred people gathered for an afternoon of celebrating books in a gorgeous mountain setting. What a party! A fabulous time was had by all.

2012 Colorado Book Awards winners and finalists

My editor/publisher Natalie Collins (Sisterhood Publications) arrived in Aspen Wednesday night. We have known each other for twelve years but this was the first time we met face-to-face. We managed to combine planning sessions with plenty of partying. Natalie and I were honored to win a seat at the table at such a prestigious awards event. We felt so fortunate to be able to share in this achievement.

Peggy Tibbetts and her publisher Natalie Collins enjoy the celebration

I met several authors for the first time, re-connected with a few I had lost touch with, and have a whole new list of books to read. What could be better than that?